Saturday, February 28, 2009

100 FREE Business Cards with FREE Shipping!


Marketsplash by HP is giving away 100 FREE business cards with FREE shipping right now! This deal will not last long! I used this opportunity to make some cards with my blog info on them to hand out to cashiers and people I meet in stores while doing my coupon shopping. I always get asked about how I do it, so I thought this would be a good way of introducing myself and my blog! Hurry over and snag yours from here!
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Thursday, February 26, 2009

Cheap Pringles!


Through a fellow blogger I learned that Walgreens was going to clearance out all of their Pringles because they are no longer going to carry them. I searched out a few stores and ended up with 19 cans of Pringles for .45 each! Can you believe it? I've never gotten chips that cheap before and these make for excellent lunch box fare. Here's the math:


Total Before Sale Price: $29.48
Total Money Spent: $8.72
Total Saved: $20.76 (70%)
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My Kmart Doubles (Second Trip)


I had been reading on Hot Coupon World that Kmart was now going to be accepting Internet Printable coupons. Because I always have so much trouble and opposition to coupons at my only Kmart store, I made sure to print out the Kmart press release regarding the IP coupons as well as an email I had received about them being accepted. I did 2 transactions, one for insert coupons and on for IP's in case I had to argue. We ended up being in the store until they were literally turning the lights off because the cash register kept locking up and having to be rebooted. This happened 3 times! We were finally able to pay for my first transaction and then had to ring up the IP transaction. He never said a word when I haded him the printables, so i was shocked. Of course he could have just wanted to go home! Anyway, here's the math from this trip:


Total Before Coupons: $100.37
Total Money Spent: $29.16
Total Saved: $71.21 (71%)
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My Kmart Doubles (First Trip)


I have already made 2 trips to Kmart this week for the double coupon promotion, but here are the stats from my first trip. I dug out of the my higher value coupons and was ready to go on Sunday morning. When I got there I couldn't believe there were only a handful of people in the store and I only saw one other person with coupons! Craziness! Anyway, I did okay for this transaction. I got a lot of HBA items, so they will last us a while. Here's the math:


Total Before Coupons: $110.99
Total Money Spent: $16.66
Total Saved: $94.33 (85%)
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My Goldfish Cracker Haul


Last week I told you about the deal at Target on Goldfish crackers. There is a $1/1 Goldfish coupon on the Target site, so these were way less than $1 each after coupon, which is a great price for Goldfish since the manufacturer's coupons for these are few and far between. Of course in my area the Goldfish are higher than reported in most other areas, but still cheap enough to stock up on. I ended up with 10 bags of Goldfish this time around for my little ones. Here's the math:


Total Before Coupons: $19.56
Total Money Spent: $8.63
Total Saved: $10.93 (56%)
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Tuesday, February 24, 2009

FREE Candy Bars at Walgreens


Walgreens has Hershey's candy bars on sale this week buy one, get one free or BOGO as well call it. There is also a manufacturer's coupon out for buy one Hershey's Special Dark Chocolate bar and get another Hershey's bar for free. Combine these 2 coupons and you get 2 FREE chocolate bars for every coupons you have! I ordered 20 last week for this sale, so I clean up on Sunday at Walgreens- 40 FREE candy bars! Woohoo! Here's the math:


Total Before Coupons: $33.44

Total Money Spent: $1.64

Total Saved: $31.80 (95.1%)
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TRIPLE Coupons @ Piggly Wiggly!


Our local Piggly Wiggly store is offering triple coupons on Friday, the 27th! All MQs up to 60c will be tripled. No cash given back if coupon total exceeds the price of the item. If like items are purchased with multiple coupons, we will triple the first coupon and give face value for the remaining coupons. No copies or reproductions of coupons accepted. Applicable taxes apply. This may be regional, or it may be store specific, but if you have a Piggly Wiggly nearby be sure to check and see if they are participating!
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Our Family

I absolutely love these little stick people pictures! Check out ours!



Pyzam Family Sticker Toy

Get your own Family Sticker Maker & MySpace Layouts.




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New Juicy Juice Marketing Panel


Go here to sign up for the Juicy Juice marketing panel. According to their website, members of the Juicy Bunch can receive promotional items, samples, and coupons to share with other parents in their community. In addition, members of the Juicy Bunch can complete simple weekly activities and earn points that can be used to redeem great rewards in their online store.
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Monday, February 23, 2009

Free Sub from Quizno's


Go here to register your name and email address and receive via email a printable coupon good for one free sub! Quizno's is giving away 1 million free subs this way. When I registered they had only given away about 5,000. Don't wait long though, because this offer won't last.
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Free Kashi Frozen Entree!


Go here to register to receive a coupon by mail for a FREE Kashi frozen entree! This is a great way to try something before you actually spend money to try it!
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Saturday, February 21, 2009

Free Cheese for Bloggers!


This is a freebie for the bloggers out there, but fear not there is a printable coupon available for everyone! Ile de France is offering one of three of their cheeses to bloggers. All you have to do is fill out the form here (it does ask for site and traffic information) and wait for some awesome cheese! If you do not have a blog you may print a coupon good for $1 off here. Have a great day!
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Friday, February 20, 2009

Friday Fill Ins

1. Give me Starbucks, and I'll kiss you!

2. Whenever I'm lonely, my husband is there.

3. I wish I could take a vacation where it's warm.

4. White Chicken Chili was the last thing I ate that was utterly delicious.

5. To live in this world you need love.

6. Other than this one, Cherished Treasures is the last blog I commented on.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to Parent's Night Out, tomorrow my plans include an autism workshop and Sunday, I want to watch Nascar and relax!
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Meet Jack

I saw this preview on TV last week sometime and I finally caught it with Russ just a couple of days ago. It's too funny to us because we can only imagine our Jack "punching bad guys and kissing the girls!" It's bound to happen.

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20 FREE Prints at Walgreens.com


Walgreens.com is offering 20 free 4x6 photo prints today only when you enter coupon code ONEDAY at checkout. Be sure to request to pick these up in-store so that you will also receive free shipping. I've already ordered mine, be sure to get yours!
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Thursday, February 19, 2009

Kmart Double Coupon Promotion is Back!


Many Kmarts are doubling coupons from 2/22-2/28/09. Not all ads for that week will show that they are doubling, so you might want to contact customer service at 1-800-KMART-4U or email customer service at: help@customerservice.kmart.com. Here is a partial list for a quick check, but it's best to call or email if yours isn't listed.


Why is this such a big deal, when other stores double frequently? Because most of the time Kmart doubles coupons up to $2! That means if you have a $2 coupon, you can get $4 off!
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Thrusday Thunks: Toothpaste, Resurrections, Watermelons, Chalk, Pictures and More Crap!


1.What brand & flavor of toothpaste do you use?


~Whatever was FREE with coupons!




2. What is your earliest memory?


~Christmas morning when I was about 4.




3. Hot Dogs or Hamburgers?


~Hamburgers




4. If you could bring any one famous person back to life, who would it be?


~Abe Lincoln




5. What is one thing we would always find in your fridge... what one thing would we never find?


~You'll always find soda and ketchup, but you'll never find bologna.




6. Did you have to go and look for the answer of #1?


~Nope.




7. What don't watermelons grow on trees?


~Umm..who cares?




8. What is something that you own that you should probably just throw in the trash, but you never will?


~Wedding pictures from my first marriage.




9. I push you into a room and lock the door. I leave you there for 6 hours. The walls are chalkboards and in the middle of the room there is a box of colored chalk. What will be written/drawn on the walls when I let you out?


~Smiley faces, flowers and my shopping list.




10. When was the last time you changed the oil on your car?


~About 3 months ago.




11. In your extended family, who has been married the longest?


~My great Aunt Lois and Uncle Clyde.




12. Name one thing that is so normal to you now that someone who was your age 50 years ago would think was abnormal.


~The Internet.




13. Have you ever wanted someone or something so bad that it hurt?


~Yes- absolutely.




14. What do you dip your french fries in?


~Ketchup, ranch dressing, mayo- depends on the day and where I am.




15. What was the last picture that you took?


~This one:


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Wednesday, February 18, 2009

I Want...

The question of the week is:

What do you want to be good for you?

I would LOVE for Starbucks to be good for me as well as funnel cakes, ice cream, cheesecake and a varied assortment of other indulgences. Who wouldn't?


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Elmo is turning 3!


Borders is helping to celebrate the birthday of one of the most popular Sesame Street characters- ELMO! This Saturday, February 21st from 2:00-3:30 Borders will be hosting story time, giveaways, and games at participating locations. I recommend calling your local store to verify times and participation.
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Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Cheap Goldfish Crackers @ Target


Target has a $1/1 store coupon out for Pepperidge Farm crackers. These normally run $1.50-$1.75 depending on the region. This makes for .50-.75 Goldfish crackers! Sounds like a great price to me, and a much healthier alternative to chips for the kids. You can find the Target coupon here.
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Circus




Russ and I decided to forego the usual Valentine's Day crowds and instead take the kids to the circus. They seemed to have a good time, but I think the oldest 2 were more interested in the cotton candy and flashing lights than anything else. I had never been to the circus, and needless to say I wasn't overly impressed. The things you do for the kids, huh? I did manage to snap a great picture of the boys together though. This is the pic in my new frame from Jill. Aren't they cute?
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Monday, February 16, 2009

$3/1 Kroger Diaper Coupon


There is a $3/1 Kroger brand diapers coupon here. You can print this twice. Kroger has changed the packaging on their brand of diapers, so you may find some $3/1 peelies on the old packages as well. These diapers often go on sale for $5.99-$6.99, making them $2.99-$3.99 with the coupons. With no CVS here for me to get diaper deals at, I will take it!
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Free Lip Balm @ Walgreens


Walgreens has Yes to Carrots products priced at 25% off this week, making the lip balm approximately $2.76. Stack this $2/1 manufacturer's coupon with this $1/1 Walgreens coupon to get free lip balm.

*Because the coupons will take off $3 and the price of the lip balm is only $2.76, you'll likely need to throw in a cheap filler to enable your order to ring through properly.


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Saturday, February 14, 2009

Happy Valentine's Day!




The monkeys and I wish you the very happiest Valentine's Day you could possibly have! Thanks for stopping by! Say hi and let us know you were here in the comments below. Have a wonderful day!
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Friday, February 13, 2009

Four Foods Friday!


Here are this week’s four questions. Let’s talk about dishes.

#1. Are your Kitchen utensils nylon, silicone, wood or other?


~Most are nylon with a few wooden spoons thrown in for good measure.


#2. Do you prefer dishes washed in a dishwasher or by hand?


~I prefer them washed in the dishwasher, but seeing as though I don't have one, I have to settle for doing them the old fashioned way.


#3. How many sets of dishes do you have?


~One very mismatched set.


#4. Share a recipe that calls for only one pot or pan.


~Hmm..all of mine call for at least 2 pots. Let's go with this recipe: http://www.recipezaar.com/White-Chicken-Chili-54230


Very Yummy!
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Thursday, February 12, 2009

My Other Swap Package!


I received another awesome Valentine's Day swap package from Jill @ Charming & Delightful. She is so very funny and I love reading her blog. She completely got who I was when she purchased my swap items. Go over and check Jill's blog out sometime. Trust me, you'll be glad you did!

See the photo frame? Jill says she has the exact same one because she has boys as well. I LOVE it! I have it in my entry way on an old antique stero with the boys' picture in it. The candles are sugar cookie scent- YUM, and the pretty cookie cutter will come in handy when the kids and I do cookies together. Thanks again, Jill!
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Thursday Thunks: Puddles, Google, College, Sugar Highs and whatnot

1.You are driving down the road and there is a puddle in the road. A big puddle. Not one that will really wreck your car or anything, but a big puddle. There is no other cars in front of you or behind you - do you drive through the puddle or drive around it?


~Drive through it!


2.Go to Google Images, type in any word that comes to mind and post the 1st picture you see.


~Word: Son


3.A college calls you up and says that you have been selected to take get any degree that you want on their dollar.... what do you choose?


~Psychology. Maybe then I would be better equipped to help my son.


4.Are you blogging on a laptop or desktop?


~Desktop.


5.Which store, excluding a grocery store, do you shop at most often?


~Walmart


6.My daughters tried out for the school musical last night. Were you ever in a school play/musical? Which one?


~Nope, not one.


7.I read yesterday that a school PTA group wants to try to ban white bread, cakes, brownies or any other "treat" from their lunch menus... plus make kids' lunchboxes brought from home not include any "junk food". Thoughts on that one?


~This makes me angry. You can cut out what you want from school lunches, I understand that, but to tell me what I can and can't send from home?!? I don't think so. I make appropriate food choices for my children and I won't have anyone else telling me anything different. This just goes too far.


8.How many people can your kitchen table seat?


~4


9.What time is it right now?


~10:21 AM


10.Walk out the front door of your house/apartment, turn right, walk 2 blocks. What do you see?


~Large piles of sand and salt. The area where the city keeps the sand and salt trucks and piles is there.
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Wednesday, February 11, 2009

$5 coupon per child @ Old Navy!


Old Navy currently has an in-store deal running where you can pick up a Valentine card at your local store (one per child) and if your child colors it and brings it back by Saturday (February 14, 2009), you'll get a $5 coupon (per Valentine colored) off any purchase.

The $5 coupon can only be used on Valentine's Day, but this could be a great deal for those of you with a few children or more! Thrifty Northwest Mom has more details here.
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*CLOSED*Country Bob's Sauce Review and Giveaway




****Congratulations Katie and Tamara B.! You are the winners in this giveaway! I have notified you each via email. You have 48 hours to get back to me or I will have to choose another winner. Thanks again for playing along!****





I found Country Bob's sauce a couple of years ago when I requested a coupon for a free bottle when I signed up for their newsletter. Since then it has become a staple in our fridge. It is a wonderful all purpose sauce. Great for burgers, steaks, and in many other recipes. Country Bob's has a list of easy to try recipes on their site as well. I can't wait for summer grilling time to be able to try so many more of their recipes!





Country Bob's is mild enough in spice that the kids enjoy it, but you can definitely taste the wonderful flavor in your food. Country Bob's can be purchased online through Country Bob's Online Store, or you can purchase them through one of your local stores that you can locate through their retail locator.





A little history about Country Bob's Sauce. In 1968, Bob Edson perfected the sauce of his dreams. He gave it to friends and family until 1977 when he began to sell it. The response was overwhelming as it is today as most people who try it become life long users. One more neat thing, they don't claim credit for the success of their company as they have placed the company in the hands of God - "Christ is their CEO - and he is a great Boss."





Country Bob's has generously allowing me to give 2 bottle of Country Bob's sauce away to my readers. The giveaway will end on Friday, February 20th at midnight. All you need to do is visit Country Bob's website and tell me what you would use Country Bob's for, or one fact I have not listed in this post. You may earn extra entries by blogging about this giveaway, becoming a follower, or grabbing my button and placing it on your blog. Please be sure to leave a separate comment for each entry. Winners will be chosen using Random.org and notified via email, so please be sure to leave me an email address to contact you. Thanks for stopping by and good luck!
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Monday, February 9, 2009

Menu Planning Monday


This is my first attempt at a Menu Planning Monday! Wish me luck! I have been very uninspired recently and I can't seem to shake it. I seem to always have the "what's for dinner?" panic about 2:00, so I'm hoping this will alleviate that some.


Monday: BBQ Beef with Mashed Potatoes, Sweet Peas, and rolls

Tuesday: Chicken Divan with Rice and Green Beans

Wednesday: Tacos, Refried Beans and Mexican Cheesy Rice

Thursday: Ham Casserole and Broccoli w/cheese

Friday: Ravioli with grilled cheese sandwiches for the kids and DH and I will order take out after they go to bed!

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A Few Of My Favorite Things

Participating in the Favorite Things Swap (see below) got me to thinking about my favorite things, so I decided to share them with you. Here are 10 random things I like!

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Saturday, February 7, 2009

Salvage Grocery Shopping

I was doing some reading on several blogs recently and they were talking about salvage grocery stores and how this was a great way to get items very low cost.

Salvage grocery shopping is buying goods, usually brand name, that for one reason or another can not be sold in regular grocery stores or on the regular shelves. These goods consist of products with damaged packaging, products that are seasonal, products that are near or past their sell by dates and products that might be test items that didn't sell well. They are made available to the public at a very reduced rate as opposed to the normal retail price.

Now, some people would tell you that never in a million years would they shop at such a place. Mainly because these stores are usually dark, a little dusty and may or may not be in the greatest parts of town. My take on it is, if it's food that's in date and the packages are in tact, then it works for my family.

I wasn't aware that we had a salvage grocer in our city until I looked at this list. Much to my surprise, we do have one, and it's been run by the same family for over 38 years! It was so cool just to go in and get a feel for the items there. We ended up purchasing a few things at that time. Salvage grocers are hit or miss. You never know what you'll find! I encourage you to consider this type of frugal shopping for your family.

Here's what we found on our trip to the salvage grocer. We paid less than $9 for all of this. The boxes of baby cereal bars are almost $3 EACH in stores! Bargain!
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Friday, February 6, 2009

Walgreens Haul

Walgreens had several items worth taking the time to fight to purchase last week, so between my husband and I we made several trips into Walgreens to purchase these items. The big free (and money making items) this week were Reynolds Wrap foil, Reese's Whipps, and 7Up. The foil and Whipps were actually free with a few cents overage each. The 7Up and other Sunkist products printed Register Rewards when purchased. So here is what we ended up with: (I only have 1 picture, so I will list everything out.)

20~ Reynold's Wrap foil
40~ Reese's Whipps
23~ 7Up & Sunkist 2 liters
2~ Nice and Easy haircolors
2~Sunsilk conditioners
2~ Postcards
1~Hallmark card
1~Valentine's Candy

Total Before Coupons: $137.47
Total Money Spent: $34.37
Total Saved: $103.10 (75%)


*Not a great percentage, BUT, I still have $14.00 in Register Rewards to spend from these transactions. If you factor that $14 in, the saving percentage is then 85.2%.*
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Kroger Mega Deals~ All Trips Combined






Okay, I'm a slacker. I didn't get around to posting about all of my Kroger mega sale trips, so I am going to do them all in one post. I have far more receipts than I do pictures, so I will do one collective total. Many of these trips were done after DH got home from work and all the kids were crabby, so pictures were the last thing on my mind. But here are a few to let you see how good the deals were!
Total Before Coupons: $578.36
Total Money Spent: $103.42
Total Saved: $474.94 (82.1%)
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My Valentine's Swap Gift Arrived!




Well, actually it arrived about a week ago, but I am just now getting this post up. I'm a bad swap blogger friend. LOL Terry over at Cherished Treasures put together a wonderful box for this swap. She was very generous and thoughtful. I have always wanted one of those cupcake stands and just never got one because other things came always came up. Now I have one! :) It's perfect for entertaining! Many thanks again Terry!
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Sign up with Poptarts! Free Samples and more!


Join the Pop-Tarts Sprinklings Fan Club here and you'll get, according to them, "a smattering of samples and a variety of values that will keep your family happy throughout the year". Since my kids and husband adore PopTarts, I see this as a win-win situation! I just hope they send coupons!
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Thursday, February 5, 2009

Mega Sale @ Kroger

I was so excited about the Mega Sale at Kroger the past 2 weeks. It's been a while since we've had a good sale, and although this sale did not afford a lot of quality items, it did provide an opportunity to stock up on some staple items. So far I've done 5 trips to Kroger with varying amounts of Mega Sale transactions per trip. I have one more trip planned when my coupons I ordered for the Pace salsa comes in from eBay. Here is how my first trip played out:

Trip #1:

Total Before Coupons: $89.11
Total Money Spent: $22.01
Total Saved: $67.10 (78%)
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Tuesday, February 3, 2009

FREE Lip Gloss!


Sign up to join the Napoleon Perdis club and they will mail you a coupon for a free Protégé Lip Gloss (valued at $25). This offer is only good at a few select stores it seems, so choose one near you.
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Gratituesday: Awesome Family


What are you grateful for today? I am so very grateful and blessed to have an awesome husband and 3 wonderful and healthy kids. My husband works very hard to provide for us, and then willingly jumps in to help where ever he can at home as well. My children are awesome bundles of love and joy (most of the time, lol), but I wouldn't trade them for anything in this world. They are the reason we do what we do each day. I'm so grateful for their unique personalities and persistence. I know that they will excel and go far in life. I could not be more pleased with my family and our life.
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Monday, February 2, 2009

$10 off $10 for QVC!


Sign up here and get a $10 credit towards any purchase from QVC. This offer appears to be for new customers only. There are many items with free shipping and several that you can get for FREE or very low cost. Check it out!
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